EASTTAGYOUREMINE, Chapter 6: Owner of the Watch
Sigh…
“Can I court you, Ter, can I court you, Ter, can I court you, Ter?”
That same question kept echoing in my head. North told me to be direct if there was anything to say, and I’ve been direct in my refusal, but why does this guy next to me still have that bright, cheerful smile as if nothing happened?
“What are you smiling at!?” I asked with a hint of irritation in my voice. I was almost having a heart attack here, but why does the guy asking still look so calm?! Isn’t he serious when he asks?
“I didn’t ask…I just stated it.” and then he flashed that heart-stealing smile at me,
Phii Hill smiled with his eyes crinkling. I can honestly say, in all the photos I’ve looked at on his page, there’s none where he smiles like this; it’s like there’s an aura shining down on him.
Wait, why was I looking at his photos? Just out of curiosity, I guess!
“It’s not funny either.” I turned my face away, secretly making a sour face.
“Yes. It’s not funny.”
“…”
“I’m serious.”
“I don’t want to!” Hmph. That cheerful face of his really gets on my nerves, could he at least pretend a little less?
He had never said anything like this to me before; he rarely showed any signs of affection towards me. He was just kind to everyone, I guess he could tell how I felt, but I was not the person he should be saying such things to.
It should be ‘Christy’ instead.
Am I not just a bridge for love?
“But I’ve already ‘done it’ with you.” He said.
“Phii!!!” I accidentally shouted, drawing attention to us. I had to turn and smile to cover up my embarrassment. This crazy guy!! What are you saying!!! And still giving me that sweet smile! Argh, I want to crawl into the ground and escape.
“Say my name sweetly.” Phii Hill whispered softly, “Like that day.”
“…Stop talking!!” My face turned even redder. I tried to sound firm and not to shout again.
“Yes, yes.” Phii Hill smiled indulgently, like he was looking at a cute little animal, like a kitten or a bunny, “But I’ve already claimed you.” He reached out and gently touched my neck with his finger. I quickly brushed it away. Hmph, he made me remember that day when he…ugh, left a red mark on my neck, which took almost a week to go away.
“…” I was at a loss for words. How could he say something so direct? I turned my face away again to hide my blushing, and Phii Hill didn’t say anything more.
Even with the sound of the rain so loud, I could clearly hear my own heartbeat.
It was starting to beat too hard!
The big hand didn’t let go of mine. Even though my hand was cold and wet from the surrounding air and the temperature dropped, Phii Hill slightly adjusted his grip and gave my hand a gentle squeeze as if to comfort something, though I wasn’t sure what he was comforting.
His hand, though large, was softer than I expected and warm against my damp, cold hand. Normally, I wouldn’t dare to hold someone’s hand with mine like this. It’s embarrassing, right, with all this sweat? Doesn’t he mind?
Come to think of it…we’ve never held hands for this long before.
We let the rain continue its symphony while we stood in silence. I didn’t know what to say, and neither did the person beside me. I wanted to believe that what I heard before was just my ears playing tricks on me.
Soon enough, the sky cleared up, the clouds moved away, and the rain started to lighten. What should I do now? Should I rush back?
“Are you hungry? I’ll take you to get something to eat.” Phii Hill spoke up first, amidst the returning chatter of the crowd.
“No, I want to go back.” I was really starting to feel like going back. Staying with him any longer would be too much.
“It’s cold now, let me treat you.”
“…” What should I do? I really want to get back to the dorm. But now my stomach’s starting to growl. If I go back to the dorm, I’ll have to go out again to eat anyway. Might as well eat out for just a bit longer.
Rrrrrrrr
The phone vibrated. I checked my pocket and realized it wasn’t my phone, but Phii Hill’s. Not long after, he took his phone out of his pants pocket and answered the call. I tried to eavesdrop.
(Hill, where are you?)
“What’s wrong?”
(Mild came looking for you at the club. Couldn’t find you. Bua say you took
Nong Ter to the doctor, is that correct?)
“Oh, right, what’s up?”
(Is it Nong Easter, right? So, Hill knows that the kid studies here.)
“Um.”
(What a coincidence, coming this far…Mild thinks the kid might have followed you to come study here.)
“And you called to say?”
(About the event we’re organizing. The club wants the second-year stars and moons to do a fashion show to promote the upcoming star and moon contest next month. Didn’t you know? That’s strange, I thought you would be presenting the show.)
“No, I had no idea.”
(Really? Hmm, but come and rehearse the walk too. We’re practicing right next to the club. Actually, we’re supposed to start today, that’s why Mind came to find Hill, but he wasn’t here.)
“Who’s in charge of the rehearsal?”
(Phii Napdao, a third-year.)
“Oh, then let’s go tomorrow. I’m not free today.”
(What? Just a stomachache shouldn’t take that long to see a doctor.)
“…”
(Okay, okay, then tell Mild to practice alone, that’s bad. See you tomorrow, bye.) Then Phii Hill hung up. I had been eavesdropping so intently that I had moved closer to him without noticing, but when I realized, I quickly moved back.
“It’s not good to eavesdrop, you know.” The tall figure said, in a playful tone, not really angry.
“Uh…no.” The person who called referred to themselves as “Mild.” probably Phii Thanmild, because she asked if he had met the junior yet. That’s me. But to say that I followed him here, that’s not true at all! I hope he doesn’t think that too. Do the stars and moon have to practice walking again? Then Phii Hill andPhii Thanmild must go for a walk together…
“So, are we going for dinner or not?”
Maybe it’s better if we don’t go. Phii Hill should be practicing walking withPhii Thanmild, right?
“I’m not going.” I said softly.
“I’ve already made a reservation too, it’ll be quick, and the place is delicious.”
“…”
“Plus, they have great cake and cocoa.”
“It’s better to go practice.” I said. I didn’t mean to be sarcastic. “No, I want to take you out for dinner more than to go to practice.” Hmph…damn, that smile…
“….Okay, I’ll go.” I figured I was hungry after all. And I wanted some cocoa. Since he went out of his way to bring me to this nice photo spot, we might as well eat together. The other party smiled contentedly before leading the way to the car while still holding my hand. So I had to follow along easily.
“You’re cute when you’re not being stubborn, you know.”
…
The fancy car pulled away from the temple’s parking lot. I sat in the passenger seat, holding both hands together, still feeling warm…It was starting to get a little dark outside, not because it was evening yet, but because the rain had just stopped, so the sky was still somewhat overcast.
I gazed out at the clear window with small droplets clinging to it. This place at night is really beautiful. The lights along the path lit up, compensating for the light from Arthit, blocked by the clouds.
The person beside me didn’t say anything, so I had time to space out for quite a while, thinking about Phii Thanmild who called earlier. I never thought I’d meet both of them here. It seems likePhii Thanmild might be the one following Phii Hill. I don’t know. Maybe I’m thinking too negatively, but her demeanor has made me guess this for a long time now. If Phii Thanmild really likes Phii Hill, she must really like him a lot, to go to such lengths.
Sigh…what about me then?
Before I could think any further, the luxury car pulled into a spacious parking lot where someone was waving to guide us to an empty spot. The parking lot was almost full. I glanced inside to see a large, beautifully decorated restaurant with a fountain at the front, which from a distance looked like a pond with lights around it.
Quite luxurious. If you didn’t book in advance, you’d probably have to wait years for a spot, it’s that packed.
Once parked, I got out of the car without waiting for Phii Hill to open the door for me. After all, he’s not my chauffeur. I followed his tall figure rather stiffly. Phii Hill seemed like he was trying to discreetly take my hand. No way would I let him! “Hello, do you have a reservation?” asked the young woman at the counter with a wai.
“Yes, for two.”
“Under what name is the reservation?”
“Rachakit.”
“Okay…please follow me, sir.” and then both of us followed another staff member. We arrived at a table by the pond, which had a barrier around it. I noticed some fish occasionally surfacing, probably caught here for the customers to enjoy fresh.
I sat down opposite Phii Hill.
Phii Hill smiled at me.
As usual, I looked away again.
“Is the atmosphere nice?”
“It’s…nice.” I replied as I reached for the restaurant menu. It was another candlelit setting. Soft classical music played romantically in the background.
Hmm…why is every place we’ve been today so romantic?
Expensive! …was the first thought that came to mind. It’s not necessary to spend this much on every meal, or is it for a special occasion…Phii Hill did say he was treating today. I feel a bit awkward about it, but if I had to pay, it would hurt.
Nothing on the menu was under two hundred, not even the desserts.
Maybe I should just order water…
“What would you like to order?”
“Well…” and then Phii Hill ordered a lot of things. I just kept quiet; all the dishes I liked or could eat, he had already ordered.
“Ter, would you like anything else?” the senior in front of me asked.
“Uh…no, thanks.” I replied awkwardly and closed the menu.
“Don’t you like this place?” he asked with a concerned tone after the waiter had left.
“N…no.”
“Or maybe because the items are expensive and Ter feels awkward about it?” How did he know that…I thought to myself but didn’t respond.
“Then next time we can go somewhere you like.”
There’s a next time? I could only give a faint smile, unsure if he noticed. I took out my phone to play with it to avoid further conversation.
Is he starting to flirt with me now?
Sigh…This is making things difficult for me. Normally, just meeting him is tough, now I have to deal with being flirted with…or maybe he’s just joking.
I scrolled through my own Facebook feed.
Cute Boy & Girl – MU – 30 minutes ago
The hashtag trend on Twitter #WhoseWatchIsThis, is just overwhelming. Even I, as the admin of the page, have no clue what it’s all about. We can only wait to see how things move forward. So, please stop messaging the page about this; the admin has a headache from this issue. If we find out who it is, we’ll definitely make a grand reveal (I heard it might be a dark horse). : This might be a dark horse; none of the girls have ever seen anyone wear that watch before.
: But Phii Thanmild seems pretty close with him. I heard there will be a star and moon catwalk too. Is the stage going to collapse? There’s definitely going to be a battle.
: Yeah, can stars from other faculties compete with those from the same faculty? That’s right. They’ve already been seen walking arm-in-arm on stage. : I still support Phii Fon, she seems to have better chemistry with him. I even saw them making eye contact during last year’s competition, looking at each other across faculties.
Is this just my imagination?
: If it’s someone else, I can’t think of who. Maybe a first-year?
It might be Phii Mild, I think. She’s been posting a lot like this lately. Plus, she’s promoting the star and moon of the second year all over her feed.
: Whoever it is, they’re super lucky, let me tell you. What did they do to deserve Phii Hill as their boyfriend?
I scrolled through the comments. Some of them were really creative. Out of nowhere, I’ve become the dark horse. I have to admit, whoever ends up as Phii Hill’s partner is really lucky.
Cute Boy & Girl – MU – 1 hour ago
Let’s take a break from Dr. Hill for a bit, shall we? Let’s look at Dr. Johan instead. Many fans missed him, so I went through fire and water to find the latest pic of Dr. Johan. Look here, who did he meet at the pub? Wow, his aura is striking, from his clothes to his hair, watch, shoes. He really doesn’t leave the house unless he’s dressed in millions, girls don’t need to pay, he’ll pay himself. P.S. He’s also close friends with Dr. Hill. Which gang can match this radiance?
A friend of Phii Hill…unlike Phii Hill who seems composed, this Johan looks like more of a bad boy.
“What are you looking at?” Suddenly, the voice from across the table rang out along with my phone being snatched away. W-wait, did you just snatch it like that?
“This is Johan.”
“…” I didn’t respond, just looked confused.
“Do you like him?” Dr. Hill asked with a smile, Phii Hill who usually smiles. But why does this smile feel creepy? I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry.
“Huh?”
“Do you like him?” That creepy smile again…why does it suddenly feel cold? “Uh…” I didn’t know how to respond. I don’t even know this Johan yet, but if I were to tease, just for fun, what would happen? “He’s quite handsome, isn’t he?” “Then someone must die today.” Phii Hill said with a cold smile, his voice flat. Is he really mad? Why does he look so scary? Phii Hill returned my phone and picked up his own to make a call.
(Hello) The voice on the other end answered, Phii Hill intentionally turned up the volume so I could hear.
“Jo, where are you?”
Huh? Calling Johan? Why?
(At the condo, what’s up?)
“We need to clear something up.”
(Huh? What’s the matter?)
“The page posted your photo.”
(What about the page posting it? What did I do wrong?)
“…”
(Hill, dude, don’t be silent, why? The page posted my pic, what’s up?)
“There is someone who said you look good.”
Hold on, Phii Hill, take it easy. I was just joking.
(Oh crap, what can I do if I’m handsome? I’m annoyed with myself. But which junior was it?) “The one I’m flirting with.”
(Was it a freshman?)
“Yeah.”
(Oh, I’m doomed then. Is the freshman with you now?)
“He is.”
(Let me talk to them.)
“The freshman is listening.”
(…Uh, freshie, I’m sorry. I might be handsome, but Hill is much better than me. Really, you should choose him. For my safety too, Hill is a great surgeon, what if he operates on me and screws up?)
Er…Johan sure has a way with words. Are the seniors studying too hard or what?
“Ok. Plus, you already have someone.”
(Hey, why would Hill say that? What if the freshman tells others? I don’t have a girlfriend, what if the freshman’s friends get interested…) And then Phii Hill hung up, before turning to give me a spooky smile.
“I know you were trying to make me jealous.” Phii Hill said in a softened tone, “And I really got jealous. Even just a little, I can’t let it go.”
“…Harsh.” I accidentally said. He really does seem jealously harsh. Imagine if that person wasn’t his friend, what would he do? “With a naughty kid, I’ve got to be a bit harsh.” “What’s naughty about me…” I frowned.
“You complimented someone else while I’m right here. It’s cruel to look at someone else’s picture when I’m around.”
“Selfish.” I muttered to myself. There’s always a crowd of girls around him; one after another.
“I admit it.” He smiled, “Everything’s mine, after all.” Oh, come on, doesn’t he feel any shame saying that?
I wanted to retort, but the food arrived first, so I let it go. Better not to argue further.
He ordered a lot of dishes, and each one was as delicious as its price suggested. Not long after, once the main courses were nearly finished, the staff brought out desserts, including my cocoa.
I was so focused on the food I didn’t say much, and he didn’t try to start a conversation either.
Ding!
My phone chimed. I picked it up and saw it was North texting me. I glanced at Phii Hill, wary of him grabbing my phone again, but he just looked up at me without saying anything.
Not angry, huh?
So I unlocked my screen to reply to North’s message.
North Natchanan: Where are you? What time are you coming back to the room?
Easter Panupong: Out for dinner, I’ll be back soon.
North Natchanan: Oh, dining with the doctor, huh? Cute.
Easter Panupong: Cute my foot.
North Natchanan: You smell of love, really. Once you get a boyfriend, you forget about friends.
Easter Panupong: Boyfriend? Did you ask me first?
North Natchanan: So, you went with Phii Hill for real?
Easter Panupong: Yeah, sort of, got dragged along.
North Natchanan: Oh well, I won’t interrupt you then, hehe.
Easter Panupong: You tease me a lot, you’ll get your own dose someday.
North Natchanan: Never, bye.
That roommate of mine really gets on my nerves, always teasing. I wonder what he’s been taking. I put my phone away after finishing the chat. When I looked up, Phii Hill was waiting for me.
“Let’s go then.” Phii Hill said with a gentle smile after we finished eating, contrasting with the spooky smile from earlier when Johan was mentioned. Once the bill at the counter was settled, we headed back to the car.
It was time to go back. I sat quietly in the passenger seat as usual. I’ve started getting used to talking with Phii Hill, but still, there’s no way I’d soften up.
Phii Hill seemed like he wanted to say something several times but decided not to. It took nearly twenty minutes of driving through traffic lights to reach my dormitory. When we arrived at the front of the dorm, I immediately got out of the car, not forgetting to turn and thank Phii Hill for taking me to a beautiful place and for the meal.
“Thank you.” I said quietly while closing the car door. “…Ter.” Phii Hill spoke hesitantly.
“…?” I looked at him with a puzzled expression, waiting for him to continue.
“Nothing, just remember to come to work at the club tomorrow.” Phii Hill changed to a broad smile instead. I closed the car door when I saw he had finished speaking, without replying.
I ran up the stairs without looking back at the car owner before opening the door to my room.
Why do I get so easily swayed…I tried to get thoughts of him out of my head.
Today I took a lot of photos; I hope some of them turned out okay, I thought.
“Hey, how was the date?” North’s teasing voice came out of nowhere.
“What date, we didn’t go on a date.” I replied in an annoyed tone before tossing my bag onto the bed.
“Sure, sure, so how was he? Was he okay?”
“He was fine, I guess, for others.”
“Really? That’s too bad for the other girls, huh. They’d definitely cry if they knew he was flirting with you.”
“Yeah, don’t rub it in. Why would he flirt with me anyway? There are plenty of beautiful girls.”
“Maybe he likes something unusual.”
“You think I’m unusual?”
“Nah, it’s just that he doesn’t go for the good-looking ones who like him, and he goes for you instead. I’m still shocked.”
“Do you think he’s just teasing me?”
“That’s a bit extreme, why would he do that? Like, make you fall for him and then dump you? That’d be pretty harsh.”
“It could happen.” …Like what he’s done before, maybe.
“It’s too much. Just reject him outright.”
“I did reject him outright! It didn’t change anything! I’m going to shower, I’m hot.” I said, sounding weary. It seems like there’s a lot more to think about. Better to shower to relax a bit.
I couldn’t help but laugh when I remembered how jealous he got…
Such a person…brutal.
::
Hill, Ratchakit – added a new photo – 1 minute ago
#OwnerOfMyWatch
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